While speculation of an upcoming meteor strike has been sending fans into waves of discussion, Epic Games has been silently updating Fortnite with brand new skins, cosmetics, and various items, including new weapons and tools, and this week a new Vending Machine item will be added to the game.
Today, Epic Games revealed on Fortnite Battle Royale’s Message of the Day a vending machine is coming to the game this week, confirming theories that players can trade spare materials such as metal, wood, and bricks for gear. Currently, the Vending Machine is listed as Coming Soon, and it is not yet clear how everything will work - specifically, whether the number of materials will correlate with quality of gear or if the drops will be random.
Fortnite fans had already assumed a vending machine was on the way after data miners found evidence of the item in the game’s code. Moreover, one player actually encountered a vending machine in the wild, but only after disconnecting from the live servers. Speculation then ran rampant about how the vending machine would work, and by and large, the main theories proved correct.
Whether or not the machines will be in random locations every game, or in a select few locations, is unclear right now. If vending machines are found scattered throughout the Fortnite map then players might find themselves harvesting materials more often and using the less popular materials (like metal and brick) to gain advantageous items. Not to mention, some players might have to decide whether to hold onto materials for building or trading them in and hopefully getting something good.
While most of the focus for new items has been on weapons and throwables, this vending machine has the potential to make an even bigger impact depending on how it works. Assuming that Epic keeps to its usual schedule, the new item should go live with this week’s update on Thursday.
Fortnite Battle Royale is available for free on PC, PlayStation 4, iOS, and Xbox One.
